Colon Blow

When I saw Mom on Monday morning, her eyes were open and her TV was on. We chatted for a few minutes, and I checked the sores on her shoulders, which, though they still looked horrible, looked like they were healing.

The results of Sunday's CAT scan showed an inflamed or slightly enlarged area of the colon. Knowing that she had just had a colonoscopy in May that came out clean, it seemed a good bet that there were no fast-growing tumors. My money was still on fecal impaction.

A gastroenterologist came in the room. He didn't seem to know that she'd just had a colonoscopy or that she'd had problems of this sort in the recent past. He ordered a gastrographic enema -- basically an enema with contrast -- to explore the areas of the colon in question.

Mom's oncologist, Dr. George came in not long after. He explained that the colon has thickened in some areas, and that thickening may be at least part of the reason behind any obstructions. The gastrographic enema would give them some visuals that the CAT scan cannot.

I've since learned that many colon cancer patients who have undergone a colectomy -- where the diseased section of the colon is surgically removed, and the remaining pieces resected -- or patients who continue to live with colon cancer cells in the abdomen, as Mom does, have scar tissue, or adhesions on the colon. Some of the scarring is substantial enough to cause bowel obstructions, either from the scar tissue itself, or the adhesions create a mangled space where passing material becomes increasingly difficult.